Daily toothbrushing has long been considered the most effective way to prevent the accumulation of bacteria on a person's teeth and gums. While toothbrushing is generally effective in cleaning the tooth surfaces, its effectiveness is greatly reduced if the force applied during brushing is inadequate. Furthermore, vigorous brushing of the teeth with excessive force can cause damage to a user's teeth and/or gum tissue. Thus, during an oral care session, a user may want to be alerted that they are brushing their teeth too hard.
Toothbrushes with pressure sensors of various types are known. However, known toothbrushes with pressure sensors are inadequate for several reasons. For example, some known toothbrushes with pressure sensors require an enlarged handle in order to accommodate the electrical circuitry required to alert a user as to the excessive brushing pressure. Other toothbrushes with pressure sensors require the incorporation of additional bulky structures in the head of the toothbrush in order to activate the pressure sensor. These known toothbrushes having pressure sensor devices can be expensive to manufacture and uncomfortable to use.
Therefore, a need exists for a toothbrush having a simplified pressure sensor mechanism that can easily alert the user that the user is brushing his or her teeth with excessive pressure.